England and her Neighbours 1066-1485: War, Diplomacy and the Making of a Nation

Format: Video

Subject Matter: diplomacy, medieval England, nation building, Norman, Plantagenet, war

England and her Neighbours, 1066-1485: War, Diplomacy and the Making of a Nation

In 1066 England was conquered by the Normans. By 1485, when Henry Tudor took the throne, it had lost most of its French territories, absorbed Wales, failed to subdue Scotland, ...and struggled to control Ireland. This video traces that turbulent four centuries — not just as a sequence of battles, but as a story of how England defined itself through its relationships with its neighbours.
Topics covered include the feudal system and the harsh reality of life under Norman rule, the great cultural achievements of the period — cathedrals, castles, the Domesday Book, the founding of Oxford and Cambridge — the catastrophic impact of the Great Famine and the Black Death, the Peasants' Revolt, the Crusades, and England's complex and often violent relationships with Wales, Scotland, Ireland and France.
The video also traces the development of Middle English — the language that emerged from the collision of Old English and Norman French, and that would eventually become the basis of the language we speak today.

0:00 Intro
0:12 Norman England / Feudal system
0:46 Architecture: Cathedrals and castles
1:21 The Domesday Book
1:44 Universities
1:54 Language: Middle English
2:42 The Great Famine
2:55 The Black Death
3:06 Watt Tyler & the Peasants' Revolt
3:29 The Crusades
3:48 England and Wales (1)
4:54 England and Scotland (1)
6:16 England and Ireland (1)
7:13 England and France
8:42 England and Wales (2)
9:45 England and Scotland (2)
11:11 England and Ireland (2)
13:07 England and France (2)

England and her neighbours from the Norman Conquest to the Accession of Henry VII, the first Tudor Monarch.

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4 Comments

@anosensei

April 5, 2026

0:00 Intro
0:12 Norman England / Feudal system
0:46 Architecture: Cathedrals and castles
1:21 The Domesday Book
1:44 Universities
1:54 Language: Middle English
2:42 The Great Famine
2:55 The Black Death
3:06 Watt Tyler & the Peasants’ Revolt
3:29 The Crusades
3:48 England and Wales (1)
4:54 England and Scotland (1)
6:16 England and Ireland (1)
7:13 England and France
8:42 England and Wales (2)
9:45 England and Scotland (2)
11:11 England and Ireland (2)
13:07 England and France (2)

@garysims2029

March 26, 2022

Good job

@anosensei

March 26, 2022

Thanks for the feedback. It’s very basic, but it gives a rough outline. You can find a few more history videos here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSgwvphXmdI&list=PLzVb6yL_jY6_2Jj3AQwAGW9kRhAJCcbYk. I’m planning to add to the list when I have a bit of time!

@aprilcoursey4533

June 25, 2021

I hear the seabirds in your speach. It makes me want to be there.

England and her Neighbours 1066-1485: War, Diplomacy and the Making of a Nation